DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (Mar. 30, 2021) – Powered by a walk-off RBI single in game one from senior Danielle Burgos (Calexico, Calif./Arizona Western College) and a home run and three RBI from sophomore Samantha Franck (La Habra Heights, Calif./La Habra) in game two, the Mercy College softball team earned 4-3 and 6-3 victories over ECC foe Molloy College in their Making Strides for Cancer Pink Games on Tuesday afternoon at Smith Field.
The Mavericks (2-2, 2-0 ECC) open up ECC play 2-0 for the first time since 2017 in their first home games in 703 days. The Lions (8-4, 0-2 ECC) have now lost four games in a row.
Game 1: Mercy 4, Molloy 3
Molloy opened the scoring in the top of the first with two runs on three hits and a Mercy error to take a 2-0 lead. The Mavericks got a run back in the bottom of the first to make it 2-1. Senior Casey Akers (Keller, Texas/Timber Creek) singled and stole second with one out. Burgos then singled and Akers scored following an error by the third baseman. A strikeout and groundout ended the threat and inning.
The Lions tacked on another run in the top of the second on a home run to take a 3-1 lead. It remained 3-1 until the bottom of the third when Mercy scored two runs to tie the game up at 3-3. Burgos walked and sophomores Sydney Johnston (Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial) and Nicole Smart (Santa Clarita, Calif./Golden Valley) both reached on errors to load the bases with two outs. Junior Ylannah Bowman (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) then doubled to right center to score Johnston and Burgos, tying the game at 3-3. A strikeout ended the inning with the bases loaded.
Sophomore Alexi Benson (Fredericksburg, Va./Riverbend) held the Lions off the scoreboard for the final five innings and the score remained tied at 3-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh. Akers led off the inning with a triple and Burgos then singled to center field, scoring Akers for the game-winning run.
Burgos went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Bowman went 2-for-3 with two RBI. Akers went 2-for-4 with two runs, Johnston went 1-for-3 with a run and senior Alyssa Guzman (Riverside, Calif./Mount San Antonio College) went 1-for-1. Benson pitched a complete game with seven strikeouts to earn her first win of the season.
Molloy was led by Chrissie Huhn who went 2-for-3 with a home run and RBI and Courtney Greene pitched a complete game to take the loss.
Game 2: Mercy 6, Molloy 3
Molloy took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on two hits. Mercy answered with two runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Junior Alexis Crawford (Hemet, Calif./West Valley High) singled and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball. Burgos then walked before a double steal by Burgos and Crawford brought Crawford in for the Mavericks first run. Franck then doubled to right field to score Burgos for the second run of the inning.
It remained 2-1 until the bottom of the third when Burgos reached on a hit by pitch and was brought home by a Franck home run to center field that made it 4-1. Molloy inched closer with a run in the top of the fourth and the top of the fifth to get within 4-3.
Mercy added two runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-3 lead. Crawford recorded an RBI single and Guzman scored following a Molloy error to give the Mavericks insurance runs.
Senior Jessica Becchetti (Eastchester, N.Y./Ramapo College) retired the Lions in order in the seventh to give the Mavericks the doubleheader sweep.
Crawford went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Franck went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Johnston went 1-for-3 and sophomore Hailey Puglia (Holtsville, N.Y./Assumption College) went 2-for-3. Senior Hannah Mueller (Fair Oaks, Calif./Bella Vista) went 1-for-2 and Becchetti tossed a complete game with three strikeouts to earn her first win of the season.
Molloy was led by Courtney Greene who went 3-for-3 with two RBI. Amanda King pitched two innings with two runs allowed to take the loss.
Mercy resumes action on Friday, April 2nd when they host D'Youville at 1:30 p.m.
